Greg Guidinger, Austin Bausman named to boys' basketball all-state teams

Greg Guidinger and Austin Bausman were each named the best boys’ basketball players in their York-Adams League divisions this season and led their teams to the state tournament. Now both standouts have been named all-state selections by Pennsylvania sports writers.

Central York’s Guidinger is a Class 6A second-team honoree, while Eastern York’s Bausman is a third-team selection in Class 4A.

Both players stand out not only for their size but also for their versatility and poise on the court. Guidinger, a 6-foot-7 junior, averaged 16.9 points, 8.5 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game for the Panthers, who captured the York-Adams Division I title and followed with a league tournament championship. The 6-4 senior Bausman registered 16.1 points, 6.9 rebounds and 3.0 assists a night and helped power the Golden Knights to the PIAA Class 4A quarterfinals.

“They’re both students of the game,” said former Eastern York coach Justin Seitz, who coached Bausman throughout high school and briefly had Guidinger in his AAU program. “Both have great length and have just a really, really good understanding of how and when to get to their spots on the floor that they can be successful. They’re both very cerebral students of the game and have a unique combination of a strong skill set with size.”

Central focus: Guidinger’s value to Central York was already on display last season, when the Panthers were 10-2 with him and 1-9 when he was injured for the first half of the year. With Guidinger back and 6-foot-8 sophomore Ben Rill returning to his home school district, Central entered this winter with high expectations. They met many of those lofty goals and finished 22-8 overall.

Central York head coach Jeff Hoke believes Guidinger could average 30 points and 15 rebounds per game if he was more selfish. Instead, the son of former NBA player Jay Guidinger was the straw that stirred the drink in a variety of ways. He was effective in the post and on the perimeter, and a young Panthers team came together around him.

“He helped us mesh. Everybody had to focus on Greg, so he made everybody else better,” Hoke said. “Greg didn't care about scoring, didn't care about the accolades. He made us division champs and York County champs. … He’s a great shooter, he’s a great scorer, good post moves, but he's so smart and he's such a good passer and unselfish teammate.”

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Guidinger held his own against some of the best players in the state. Central opened its season against eventual state champion Reading, which featured 6A Player of the Year Ruben Rodriguez and a pair of third-team selections. The Panthers’ non-league schedule included several of the toughest tests District 3 had to offer, and Guidinger also shined in three victories over division rival York High.

The junior eclipsed the 1,000-point milestone in a playoff win over Dallastown, an especially impressive feat considering Guidinger also missed half a season. For as much as he’s already achieved, though, his coach thinks the best is yet to come.

“When people see him next year, he's going to be even a different player,” Hoke said. “He's going to be bigger, faster, stronger, and he just has that smile on his face that’s infectious to make other people want to play with him.”

Guidinger has received a slew of mid-major Division I offers, including Drexel and Mount St. Mary’s in the region. He’s flown under the power-conference radar thus far and hopes to generate increased interest this summer and beyond. But there’s no mistaking his impact on the high school court this season.

“He deserves any and all accolades he can get,” Hoke said. He’s the epitome of a great basketball player and kid, and he’s a leader.”

Fourth-year flourish: Seitz was Eastern York’s freshman basketball coach when Bausman was in seventh grade, and the young prospect worked his way onto the freshman team by the end of that season. He played primarily in the post on varsity as a freshman, then moved to point guard as a sophomore and shifted back toward the wing as an upperclassman. 

“(He has) that rare ability to play inside and out with his size, and then he put in the work to be able to handle the ball," Seitz said. "At the high school level, especially in York County, 6-3, 6-4 kids are used to playing the post. But with him, we just saw a unique talent and the matchups that we were able to create by having him on the wing, and then his development was through the roof.”

While Bausman finished with over 1,300 points for the Golden Knights, his mentorship of younger players may have been just as valuable. Three of Eastern’s top seven players in 2021-22 were freshmen, and Bausman took them all under his wing. The Knights finished second in York-Adams Division II and made a run to the league finals, setting the stage for a memorable campaign this year.

Eastern York started 11-0 before battling through injuries and finishing the regular season 15-6. The Knights reached the county semifinals and placed third in the district tournament, then captured a pair of memorable state playoff wins and closed the book at 20-9. Bausman and 6-foot-6 sophomore Carter Wamsley formed one of the league’s most dynamic duos and were neck-and-neck for the team’s scoring lead all season.

“He was someone that our guys were able to look to in tough spots, to be able to make a play when we needed it,” Seitz said. “He wore it on his chest — he wasn’t an emotional player, he didn’t get caught up in things, but he still had that fire and that drive to compete every single play, which was huge when things were going bad. … It brings everyone together and keeps everyone upbeat.”

Bausman will play basketball and baseball at Marywood, where he’ll team up with former Eastern teammate and fellow 1,300-point scorer Trevor Seitz, Justin’s son. And if he brings to the Pacers what he brought to the Golden Knights, he could have another memorable career in store.

“I think they’re getting a steal,” Justin Seitz said. “They’re getting exactly what I had in high school. They're getting a guy that, offensively, can play inside and out, and defensively he can guard all five positions. (He’s a) really strong shooter from both two and three, and he's going to be able to create matchups up there and be a great teammate for four years.”